1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a media disk storage container and, more particularly, to a hinged media disk storage container provided with a cover for the spine of container. The spine cover includes indicia which identify the media contents of the container, the artist, the recording company, the manufacturer or other information. The container is particularly suited for, but not limited to, the storage of compact audio/video disks, CD-ROM's and other laser-readable disks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Media disk storage containers having hinged lids and printed paperboard labels are disclosed in several U.S. patents which are commonly assigned with the present application, as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,242, issued Feb. 8, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,827, issued Jan. 3, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,159, issued Oct. 31, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,559, issued Sep. 3, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 393,394, issued Apr. 14, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 395,190, issued Jun. 16, 1998; and pending U.S. design patent application Ser. No. 29/041,663, filed Jul. 20, 1995, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The above patents represent advancements beyond the typical "jewel box" used to contain compact disks, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,085, which is formed of clear plastic so that printed promotional material inserted inside the lid and the base is visible to the consumer. The assembled jewel box is then wrapped in a plastic film.
Another example of a prior art disk storage container is U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,230.
All of the above-described disk storage containers include a lid pivotally connected to a base provided with a spine. To date, the spine, about which the lid pivots, is typically formed of patterned plastic, is integral with the base, and has not been used to identify the contents of the container, the artist, the recording company, the manufacturer or other information. It would be desirable to be able to customize the container by providing a spine cover which can be customized.